Tue 24 August 2010
13:00–14:30h
Volkshochschule Dortmund, S 137a

Moderated by Birgit Richard (de)

1. 13:00h | Eva Vrtačič (si): The Cartesian Subject 2.0: Body/Mind Dualism and Transhumanist Thought
2. 13:25h | Vanessa Ramos-Velasquez (br/de): Digital Anthropophagy & Anthropophagic Re-Manifesto (for the Digital Age)
3. 13:50h | Yonggeun Kim, Joonsung Yoon (kr): Quasi-Autopoiesis. Sublimed Human Intellect

ISEA2010 Conference Proceedings | P19 Cyborgs and Transhumans (PDF, 65.96 KB)

Eva Vrtačič (si)

The Cartesian Subject 2.0 Body/Mind Dualism and Transhumanist Thought

Transhumanism has more to do with narcissism than humanism, especially as manifested in the ultimate transhumanist desire: immortality. Although sometimes understood as hi-tech version of social evolutionism, celebrating values of Enlightened humanism, rationalism, scientism and classical liberalism, the mere fact that the Cartesian subject, imprinted with body-mind dualism, is re-invoked in transhumanism, can be interpreted as symptomatic rather than humanist. With the theories of Lasch, Žižek and others, we will attempt to critically evaluate the motivations behind transhumanist endeavours.

ISEA2010 Conference Proceedings | The Cartesian Subject 2.0 Body/Mind Dualism and Transhumanist Thought (PDF)

Eva Vrtačič is an assistant researcher at Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (University of Ljubljana). Her interests include performance philosophy, theory of the subject vs. digital technologies and performance art. She has published several articles and a book on serial killers.

^^^

Vanessa Ramos-Velasquez (br/de)

Digital Anthropophagy & Anthropophagic Re-Manifesto (for the Digital Age)

I have created a manifesto-poem with a new take on the original Manifesto Antropófago written by the Brazilian modernist author Oswald de Andrade in 1928. His manifesto was an assertion of the unique Brazilian voice in the emerging modern time, away from clichés of colonialism, while unapologetically metabolizing outside references from the First World. My Digital Anthropophagy paper containing the Anthropophagic Re-Manifesto seeks to update that anthropophagic practice of cultural cannibalism to the digital age, where the virtual world is the new frontier and anyone can be a colonizer.

ISEA2010 Conference Proceedings | Digital Anthropophagy & Anthropophagic Re-Manifesto (for the Digital Age) (PDF)

Vanessa Ramos-Velasquez is an interdisciplinary artist creating installation, performance art, videodance, videoart, film, and hybrid art. Having acquired a diverse background along her various global residencies through what she describes as Anthropophagic hunger. She now lives in Berlin.

^^^

Yonggeun Kim, Joonsung Yoon (kr)

Quasi-Autopoiesis. Sublimed Human Intellect

This paper aims to reveal how the quasi-autopoiesis in generative art complements and renders the human intellect as sublime. As a tool for perfect computation, the computer complements the human intellect outside the chain of profit-pursuing. Thus the quasi-autopoiesis is not an imitation of human intellect. It is rather a reflective question on the sublime of objectified human intellect. The computers in the gallery will problematize the fact in order to compare the computers in factories and offices.

ISEA2010 Conference Proceedings | Quasi-Autopoiesis. Sublimed Human Intellect (PDF)

Yonggeun Kim is in Ph.D. candidate in the Global School of Media, the graduate school of Soongsil University. His research area is the man-machine dis/continuity throughout the theoretical studies on the new media art practices.

Dr. Joonsung Yoon is professor of Soongsil University, College of IT, the Global School of Media.

^^^